Three couples decide to party in a storage facility after hours and are picked off by an axe-wielding killer Santa Claus.

Impressions;

Fear comes in the form of a bearded man in a big red suit. Sound familiar? You’re Probably thinking it’s Santa Claus and well you wouldn’t be wrong in your assumption just don’t get your hopes up for it being the bubbly ho-ho-hoing, present giving Christmas king. In John Wards Axemas the title pretty much states what this 25 min short is going to deliver, and trust me when I say it’s not gifts.

To say that I wasn’t impressed with Axemas sounds harsh but it is the truth. Unfortunately, the film flopped from beginning to end. There was practically no story and the little bit of plot that we did get to see only made me scratch my head further. The reveal, in my opinion, was not very well executed at all, the acting was pretty bad the cast seems to be very stiff and awkward when saying their lines. The cinematography was janky and overall made the film a complete uncomfortable watch.

Part of my job as a reviewer is to give the readers my honest opinion and what I say here is nothing but my opinion. Everything about the short just seemed wrong. The filming seemed rushed and even though the director only had twenty-five mins to play with there was just not enough time to establish the aesthetic that he was aiming for.

What I particularly disliked about Axemas was the axe-wielding slasher himself. Throughout the entirety of the film, I found myself feeling more and more detached from the plot. I wanted so badly to give this short horror a chance; I tried but I’m afraid it didn’t work for me. With that being said Axemas has managed to sport a sequel so whether that one is better than the first I cannot say but it would be definitely interesting to find out. Christmas slasher films have been done to death especially with the likes of Silent Night, Deadly Night taking the world of indie horror by storm, however, Axemas is nothing but a pale imitation.

With that being said Axemas was entertaining, it just didn’t hold my attention!

Rebecca Kolodziej is a horror writer hailing from the ever-dreary Wales, UK. Horror mad and frightfully addicted to all the gore and grim you can throw at her. Currently writing for Popcorn Horror Magazine and DecayMag, as well as freelancing her own spooky stories to anyone who dislikes a healthy night's sleep. Having a not so secret love affair with Edgar Allan Poe and getting emotionally overwhelmed by adorable cats take up any spare time she might find.

[…] “There was practically no story and the little bit of plot that we did get to see only made me scratch my head further. The reveal, in my opinion, was not very well executed at all, the acting was pretty bad the cast seems to be very stiff and awkward when saying their lines.” Rebecca Kolodziej, Decay Mag […]